Software applications often require the use of configuration information about the user's operating environment to be able to run in different environments. This configuration information is usually persistent, meaning that it must be maintained while the application is not running. Accordingly, configuration information is typically stored in one or more separate configuration files that may be manipulated by a user or another application.
No universally recognized standard exists for configuration file formats. Accordingly, each software application must provide it's own configuration file processing code to process, add, delete and modify contents of its configuration files. Thus, a need exists for a generic configuration file processor that eliminates the need for each application to implement its own configuration file processing code.